To protect cells, specifically in the context of a spreadsheet application like Microsoft Excel, follow these steps:
Here's how you can lock cells to prevent unwanted changes based on the provided reference:
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Select the Cells: First, select the specific cells you want to protect. If you want to protect the entire sheet, you can select all cells.
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Access Format Cells: Right-click on the selected cells. A context menu will appear. Click on "Format Cells."
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Protection Tab: In the "Format Cells" dialog box, navigate to the "Protection" tab.
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Lock the Cells: On the Protection tab, check the "Locked" checkbox. This locks the cell, meaning its contents cannot be changed when the worksheet is protected.
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Apply Changes: Click "OK" to apply the changes.
Important Notes:
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Locking cells alone does not prevent changes. You must also protect the worksheet to enforce the locking.
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To protect the worksheet, go to the "Review" tab in Excel and click "Protect Sheet." You can then set a password to prevent others from unprotecting the sheet.
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If you want specific users to be able to edit certain ranges even when the sheet is protected, you can define editable ranges.
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Unlocking cells can be done by repeating the above steps and unchecking the "Locked" checkbox.